NEW Hibs recruit George Francomb couldn’t wait to swap trips to Old Trafford and Anfield for a visit to East End Park.

Easter Road boss Pat Fenlon has signed the full-back on loan from Norwich until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old trained with his new team-mates for the first time yesterday and hopes to make as big an impact in the SPL as the player keeping him out of the first team at Carrow Road.

Kyle Naughton used a loan spell at Gretna three years ago to cement a place at Sheffield United and won a £5million move to Spurs on the back of his experience in Scotland. Now he’s on loan at Norwich and ahead of Francomb in the queue for a defensive slot.

Norwich boss Paul Lambert has had Francomb in his squad this season but his role has been restricted to travelling reserve.

Visiting some of the biggest and best stadia in the game has been a fantastic experience for him but nothing beats the joy of playing top-flight football.

Francomb said: “No, it wasn’t tempting to stay at Norwich, even though I’ve enjoyed it this season.

“I’ve been to Old Trafford and Anfield and other great stadia around the Premiership but the bottom line is I need to be playing games so it was really a no-brainer to come to Hibs.

“There were a few clubs in for me but when the gaffer rang and said Hibs were interested I wanted to come straight away. It’s massive club with a great stadium and great facilities.

“I know the club’s on a bit of a downer at the moment and in the bottom two but we can get a few points on the board and start climbing the table.

“I had never been to Scotland before arriving here but I knew all about the club because I was in the Norwich youth team with David Stephens.

“He was telling me about the fan base and how impressed he is with Hibs. Paul Lambert also told me it would be great for me to come and play in the SPL.

“One of the players keeping me out the first team at Norwich is Naughton who is on loan from Spurs. I room with Kyle on away games and even before I knew I was coming here he told me playing in the SPL would be a great experience.

“There were a few clubs in League Two showing interest but he said the SPL is far better.

“There’s a lot more television exposure here and Edinburgh is a lovely city.”

Francomb, from Romford in Essex, is a graduate of the Canaries’ youth academy and spent three months last season on loan at Barnet. He is out of contract in the summer but is rated highly by Lambert and is confident he can use his time in the SPL to win a new deal.

Delia Smith’s club are on the rise under ex-Livingston manager Lambert but Francomb has no qualms about getting down and dirty in a relegation scrap as Hibs prepare for the trip to face the Pars.

He added: “I have played five games for Norwich in the league and cup but now it’s about getting as much game time as possible because I haven’t played a competitive first-team fixture in almost a year. I need a consistent run of games.

"I went on loan to Barnet last season and played 16 matches and it went quite well but since then I’ve been playing reserve team football. I may not have played much competitive football but I’m match fit and ready if called upon against Dunfermline.

“I want a good run of games under my belt and help Hibs up the table by securing some wins. I’m composed on the ball, a hard worker and always give 100 per cent.

“I’ve just come through my first training session and it was not too dissimilar from Norwich, with a good tempo.